SMMS Participants reach first 2030 target: 26% of Postal fleet composed of Electric vehicles

Brussels, 14 November – On 7 November, the IPC Board approved the 2024 results of the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS)[1].

This year’s results mark the achievement of two targets set by the Group:

• The SMMS programme has hit its 2030 target of achieving a 25% proportion of electric vehicles in participants’ postal fleets, six years ahead of schedule. As of 2024, there are 187,000 Electric vehicles (EVs) in the group’s collective fleet, representing 26% of total vehicles. This illustrates the strong leadership and commitment of posts to improve their fleets’ sustainability and significantly reduce the sector’s contribution to global emissions
• Furthermore, IPC is proud to announce that the parcel delivery efficiency target to achieve a 20% decrease in Scope 1, 2 and 3 (outsourced transport) emissions per parcel by 2025 has been achieved. This is especially impressive given the growing quantity of e-commerce globally and hence a testament to the growing innovation amongst the SMMS participants

Holger Winklbauer, IPC Chief Executive Officer commented: “Once more, the SMMS results highlight the strength of posts collaborating towards a global common goal. Achieving the Electric vehicles target of 25% of the postal fleet six years ahead of schedule is truly remarkable and demonstrates the power we have as a group to act together towards a common goal. We are delighted to see the willingness of the participating posts to work together to reduce their carbon footprint and their motivation to learn from each other”

Continuous improvements towards 2030 joint targets

As part of their collective 2030 targets, posts on five continents participating in the SMMS programme strive to have 75% of energy used in their buildings originating from renewable sources, 50% of their vehicle fleet composed of alternative fuel vehicles, with at least 25% of the total fleet to be electric vehicles, and 75% of group waste to be recycled or reused.

The group has successfully increased its use of renewable electricity from 14% of total electricity use in 2012 to 36% in 2024. The SMMS group has grown its collective alternative fuel vehicle fleet from 65,000 (12% of total vehicles) in 2012 to 229,000 (32%) in 2024, and the target of 25% electric vehicles has been reached with 187,000 (26%) being now Electric vehicles (EVs).

NB: All percentage figures are rounded to one decimal place and all vehicle numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand
2024 and 2023’s results include Canada Post, Japan Post and Thailand Post who joined the SMMS programme in 2024. As well as omitting Australian Postal Corporation from 2023 and 2024. All previous year’s results are calculated using SMMS participants present in the respective reporting cycle.

In 2024, the group reused or recycled 71% of total non-hazardous waste, a 14% increase since 2019, and moving positively towards the 75% target.

Over 40% CO₂ emissions reduction since 2012

In 2024, posts reported a 40.2% reduction in annual Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions compared to a 2008 baseline. Since 2008, the group’s cumulative reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions now equals 35.5 million tonnes CO₂. For full scope 1,2 and 3 reporting please refer to the online report.

In 2020, a new 2030 target was set for absolute carbon emissions – to reduce collective scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% compared to a 2019 baseline. In 2024, posts reported a 17.3% decrease in emissions compared to 2019. This was great progress for the group as they recorded a 11.9% decrease at the end of 2023. This equates to a reduction of more than 1.1 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2024 compared to 2019.

NB: All emission figures are rounded to the nearest thousand
All results include Canada Post, Japan Post and Thailand Post who joined the SMMS programme in 2024.  The earliest emission data has been back casted to 2019 to ensure consistent reporting. As well as omitting Australian Postal Corporation from all results shown

The Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS)

The IPC SMMS programme was launched in 2019 to address the sustainability objectives of the postal sector for the next ten years, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It expands on the 2009-2019 Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS) programme, which focused on reducing carbon emissions, and broadens the remit to the seven sustainability focus areas most relevant for the postal sector: Health and safety, Learning and development, Resource efficiency, Climate change, Air quality, Circular economy and Sustainable procurement. These focus areas are aligned with the following UN SDGs, identified by our stakeholders and SMMS participants as most relevant to the postal sector:

SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth

SDG 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure

SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities

SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production

SDG 13 - Climate action

As such, the SMMS programme is designed to further the postal sector’s contribution to global sustainable development, focusing on the areas in which it can have the most impact.  

About International Post Corporation

International Post Corporation (IPC) is the leading service provider of the global postal industry that provides leadership by driving service quality, interoperability and business-critical intelligence to support posts in defending existing business and expanding into new growth areas. It is a cooperative association of 26 postal operators in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America.

IPC’s solutions and services are used by over 190 member and non-member posts worldwide. Since 1989 IPC has set standards for upgrading quality and service performance and developed technological solutions that help posts enhance service for international letters, packets and parcels. IPC engages in industry research, creates business-critical intelligence, provides a range of platforms and programmes for member post CEOs and senior management to exchange best practices and discuss strategy. IPC also manages the system for incentive-based payments between postal operators.

For further information, please contact:

Eva Wouters

Communications manager, PR and media relations

International Post Corporation

+32 2 724 71 91

[email protected]